Soft Drinks: Taxes In Texas?

Politician, heal thyself: A Texas state senator who says he enjoys soft drinks himself is pushing legislation that would attach taxes to soda.

The plan would put taxes on manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors — and Sen. Eddie Lucio says the cost might be passed on to consumers. In the latest comparison between popular food and drink items and tobacco, a state representative who supports the tax, linking soft drinks to obesity and diabetes, says “it’s like taxing cigarettes to stop cancer.”

Lucio says he is modeling his plan on a failed California proposal that would have imposed a nine-cent tax on every two-liter bottle of soda sold. It’s the latest hit on snacks and soft drinks in Texas, where the state education agency recently ordered schools to shut down snack machines during breakfast and lunch.